Girls on Wheels all “pinked up” at the Mary Kay Museum.
Vicki Baker
We all have a favorite color. A color that is “so me”. Take the color pink; it has become synonymous with Mary Kay Ash, the cosmetic queen who forged a path for financial success for women in a male-dominated business world. Girls on Wheels delved into the rich history of this remarkable woman and her lifelong achievements during their visit to the Mary Kay Museum located inside the soaring glass lobby of the company’s world headquarters in Dallas.
The museum is part history lesson, part tribute and part recognition hall devoted to the life of one of America’s most famous businesswomen, Mary Kay Ash, whose dream began more than five decades ago. The museum showcases the many accomplishments and innovative business ideas of Mary Kay and houses an incredible collection of artifacts highlighting her life and career from the beginning of the product line in 1963 to the present. On display are Cinderella gifts, diamond bumblebee pins, photographs and paintings, gowns worn by Mary Kay, business suits worn throughout the years by beauty consultants, past and current cosmetic lines, product marketing materials, archival business documents and so much more.
Oh, and why the color pink? Mary Kay downright reveled in it, from those delicate compact cases to the 19,000-square-foot pink mansion (complete with giant pink bathtub) she once owned. She selected a soft pink color for the packaging of her first skin care line because most homes in the early ’60s had white bathrooms. The containers would be so attractive, she thought, that women would want to leave them on display. At company headquarters this feisty little color has been an integral part of the business since its inception. Who knew such a seemingly small decision would play a defining role in the Mary Kay brand?
It’s clear Mary Kay was an amazing woman. Having little more to work with than guts, energy and some bright ideas, she became a successful businesswoman at a time when that just wasn’t done. But well beyond that, Mary Kay didn’t just bask in her success or dare other women to try to follow, instead, she devoted her career to giving other women the chance to succeed.
Girls on Wheels, all wearing a healthy dose of Mary Kay’s signature pink, glimpsed into the world of this remarkable individual who inspired other women to dream and succeed. Even today Mary Kay was an inspiring role model, challenging Girls on Wheels to be the best we can be on our own terms. Mary Kay once said, “within yourself lies everything you ever dreamed of being”.